A/N: I have an email address specifically for this account. I checked it recently, and realised there was almost 300 unread messages to do with this story. I NEVER REALISED IT WAS SO BUSY! And I realised there are heaps of people that have reviewed that I haven't even MENTIONED before and I felt guilty so I'm going to do one of the things I hate the most and make... a LONG A/N.
Okay it's not really that epic, but this is a list of EVERYONE that's EVER reviewed, and I wish so hard that I could say that I love you to each of you individually, but I really want to get this chapter up as soon as I can, so... here's my list... of love?
Lunakatsuma
qqsha
hitomi65
Preppy-Stealthy-Ninja
Guest (Not sure if the same person each time though)
NaturalSam14
DMCP
Vikky Plushie
Kanako Arichi
Autore Raita
Yume Li
Yui
sleepdeprived91
blizzard 10
phppsmss
psychotic luv (and Psychotic Luv)
RenegadeWarrior
Lexie-chan94
Samx (Is Peverted Samx the same person?)
GodsOfDeathLikeApples
Thanasi
Orekirito
xXxMentalPancakesxXx
Rairyu no Ikari
Soul Vrazy
Tenshi-Oujosama
Namikaze Hatake
Ichigan
Clocked002
tora-chan83
Amayachida
xXcherrysXx
Eclipse
vampireharry the 2
Chuu112
LeTardis
otakuzen
Tnah
H0licist
I read and squeal at every review- no exceptions. So thank you all for taking your time to leave a few or a LOT OF words (Like Lunakatsuma has been doing lately and making my eyes go dry with the loss of tears) and douzo, reader-samas! Feel free to complain if it's bad, but knowing me I'll probably squeal over a complaint as well.
Sunday, Palermo
Vongola Headquarters, approximately 9AM
There were workers and Family members milling about all over the buildings fixing up the damage caused by the Fortezza survivors the day before, and even more Mafiosi swarming the underground prison to interrogate the hell out of and punish the Fortezza survivors themselves.
Tsuna and his Guardians were just as much in the thick of it as Coyote and the rest of the Ninth Guardians were, Timoteo still recovering from the poison and not allowed to take on intense work yet.
When they donned the yellow waterproof jumpsuits to work on the repairs alongside the Ninth Generation, most of the Ninth Guardians were relatively impressed by the maturity of their to-be successors, while others such as Coyote were completely blown away by those such as Gokudera's efficiency.
It was one of the first times that the Ninth and Tenth Generations got good looks at each other, the last time being the failed Inheritance Ceremony, and so Timoteo's Guardians were pleasantly surprised to discover that Tsunayoshi and his Guardians were more than capable of working in and for the Famiglia.
Due to their experience in the Student Council, the Tenth Generation communicated and managed both themselves and the workers with beyond-clockwork efficiency, at least compared to the bumbling children that most Family members expected the upcoming Tenth Generation to be before they had arrived in Sicily earlier that week.
"Mukuro, where's the glass we ordered?"
The illusionist consulted his clipboard quickly. "For the third meeting room?" The one asking nodded. "The truck left it out rested on the eastern wall. I'll get someone to bring it in."
"Watch out for the beam coming in, Decimo!"
Tsuna ducked quickly. "Hiiie! That was close! Hey, do you need help with that?"
"Gokudera, si può misurare che?" the worker pointed to the empty doorframe that needed measuring to order a door for.
"Ah, sì. As soon as I'm done here." The silver-head let the measuring tape snap back up towards his hand as he straightened, noting down the measurements of the double-door doorframe he had just measured and muttering "We'll have to commission that..."
Away from all the chaos, Hibari was standing on the roof watching as trucks came and left, workers milling about, and kept an eye on the delivered materials such as the panes of glass for the third meeting room left rested on the eastern wall.
Hibird chirped conversationally at his ear, having been making rounds every ten minutes to make sure all was in order. It was on one of these rounds that the little yellow puffball found something that distressed it.
Hibari stood and followed his bird as it flew in a swoop straight down to a basement window, hopping near it frantically to get his master's attention.
The Cloud Guardian was baffled as to what on earth could be going wrong in the basement library of all places, as all the rooms below ground level were untouched by the Fortezza invasion, and so to be honest he wasn't too surprised when he saw Yukimura Suzume curled up in a corner, head down, hands buried so tightly in her choppy hair that her knuckled were white.
Sunday, Palermo
Vongola Headquarters, approximately 10AM
"I… don't know which way is up anymore," she laughed shakily.
Hibari was sat at one of the tables, Hibird sleeping near where he had his arm rested on it. Suzume was still exactly where she had been an hour ago, in that corner, curled up, but there was no way that Hibari still saw her the same way he had seen her an hour ago.
"What do you want me to do?" he said softly. Almost reluctantly.
Suzume's posture stiffened. "Please don't tell anyone. That's all I ask. They can't know."
Hibari chuckled darkly. "It all makes sense now. Why would you sit in a swamp for so long, letting your injuries fester, all for the sake of a Family that did all of this to you?" His expression then changed when he grasped the extent of Suzume's intentions. "This is a serious -"
"Please. I'll do anything. Just never tell anyone, Hibari. They can't know," she insisted, shuffling along on her knees to kneel at his feet. A flicker of disgust crossed the Cloud Guardian's eyes before they returned to showing his conflicted thoughts.
"Why?"
Suzume thought about her answer carefully. "…I can't ruin it for them. What's past should stay past. The truth will only cause suffering."
Grey eyes narrowed and then closed, a palm reaching up to massage his temple. Suzume made him remember things that he would rather stayed in the past.
There was a long silence before he sighed. "On one condition. This Asphodel Alliance, they are plotting to take down the Vongola, correct?"
"Yes."
"Tsunayoshi's Family is of concern to me. You will let me inform them of the threat… and fight alongside us."
"You want me to join the Vongola's side?"
"Specifically, I want you to fight with me. Allow me to use you in the battles to come."
Suzume smirked a little, wiping away the remnants of tears on her cheeks. "You know that with me comes the rest of my family, so in reality with this deal you are gaining all five Yukimuras. Clever boy. Well, it's not like I have a choice. It's a deal."
As Hibari then left the room as quickly as he could, Hibird frantically following, he resisted the urge to smack his head against the nearest wall.
But hey. That was the Yukimura threat solved.
Sunday, Palermo
Vongola Mansion, approximately 6PM
As the dining table was filled, with Timoteo at one end, his Guardians on his right and Tsuna and his Guardians on the Ninth's left and the rest filled by everyone else, Hibari internally groaned at the amount of talking he would have to do over that one dinner.
Explaining the Asphodel Alliance without sounding like he hadn't gotten the information from a random Fortezza prisoner was going to be difficult, considering where he had gotten the information from. He occasionally took small glances down at the other end of the table where Reborn, Seiji and the Yukimuras sat, with plenty of other Vongola members in between.
In simple terms, the Asphodel Alliance was a group made up of the survivors of almost every Family the Vongola had ever dissolved, with a common goal of bringing said powerhouse Famiglia down.
In reality it wasn't that simple, because the Asphodel Alliance had backing from various enemy Families to the Vongola Alliance and weren't grouped in one place, but were rather all over Italy stationed where their original Family had existed. But nonetheless they were to be recognized as one huge secret power- the underground of the underworld.
The Fortezza survivors had been but a part of this alliance, and if the survivors of just one Family had given the Vongola so much trouble, then Hibari decided that he better check if the Ninth had any history of heart conditions before telling him that the Asphodel Alliance was made up of the survivors of every Family he'd dissolved during his time as Boss and more.
The Asphodel Alliance was roughly eight average-sized ones like the Fortezza, nine ex-powerhouses, and about three dozen minor families- with the support of about four of the Vongola's enemy Famiglias.
So, in total a group almost five times the size of the Vongola Famiglia, the largest Family in Sicily.
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Mansion, approximately 2AM
Reborn sat down on the edge of his student's bed, sighing. The talk at the dining table was still going on, but seeing Tsuna becoming paler by the minute, the hitman tutor had taken him up to bed early. "It could be worse. At least Timoteo is still the Don for now, so you have no direct obligation to deal with this."
After a moment, a muffled voice said from under the blanket, "But how can I not?"
With a hand on where he approximated Tsuna's shoulder to be, Reborn crossed his legs and looked up to the ceiling. "Of course. What was I thinking? But never forget that Timoteo and his Guardians are one of the longest reigning generations. They'll make it through this. Trust in them."
A small hand emerged and pulled down the edge of the blanket, and a big brown eye looked up at Reborn. "It's a group as big as the Vongola Alliance, and still growing. Can you honestly tell me that we can get out if this unscathed?"
"No one ever comes out of a battle unscathed, Tsuna. It is how we deal with the scathes that count."
There was a knock on the door. Tsuna sat up and asked who it was. When Aoshima identified himself, Tsuna granted permission to enter.
The silver-head had his cell phone in his hand and an apologetic expression.
Uh-oh.
"I have good news and bad news."
Tsuna groaned. Reborn resisted the urge to smile and said "Give him the good news first."
"The good news is that Namigaku is running fine without the core members of the Student Council. It seems that Midori Boys' has been eager to provide help to the Council members that are left in running Namigaku. I think the exact words are to 'stay in good graces' with us."
"Oh, that's great. I've been worried about that."
Reborn coughed. "And the bad news?"
Aoshima winced a little. "Well, the bad news is… some Council members didn't take our sudden disappearance well."
"…Who?"
"Uh. Our Wardens."
Uhhh-oh.
"They're coming to Italy."
And then Tsuna's heart stopped for a moment. "What?"
"Some of our Warden got worried when Suzume and I didn't arrive on the flight that we were supposed to today and when they realized we still weren't back on Monday morning- remember how we're eight hours behind?- they decided to take flights to Italy and come find us."
"Oh Dio," Tsuna moaned, palms on his temple. "How many?"
"Er. That's the really bad news."
"What, five? Eight? Ten, even?"
"…All eighteen of them."
Tsuna buried his face in his hands and cried out in despair.
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Mansion, approximately 6AM
"Kiyoshi."
"Mn?"
"I've decided to join the Vongola's side against the Asphodel."
There was silence. Aoshima buttoned up his shirt in the mirror as Suzume leaned against the wall, waiting for him to be done.
"Why do you feel the need to get involved?"
There was silence.
Aoshima sighed. "Alright then. But remember that they hurt you, Suzume."
"I know."
"Remember… even back then…"
"...I know."
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Headquarters, approximately 9AM
"Suzume… why?" Shou asked softly.
Suzume was again the one standing in the background, watching her brother make use of the shooting range to ease up some of his unused skills. Wearing dark clothes with the rifle on his shoulder, standing side on to the target, Shou actually looked like he could belong right there, among the gunpowder and metal, that was so unlike his easygoing personality.
"It's something that you don't want tou-san and Shin to know, isn't it? That's why you came to me first."
"I don't want you to get involved, nii-chan, so…"
A soft bang, and there was another perfect bulls-eye in the head of the target. Shou lowered the rifle and turned to look at Suzume. He smiled. That gentle smile that told her everything was fine.
"Tell me."
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Headquarters, approximately 12PM
"If this is what you want, Suzu, then I guess… we'll drop it," Seiji sighed.
Shin stretched out over the back of his chair. "Aw, and I thought I'd have something to amuse myself with for a while as well. Can't I at least play around with Nougat for a little while longer?"
Suzume shook her head vehemently. "Sawada-san in a dear friend, and so are his Guardians. I don't want to cause so much trouble for them when they're getting so troubled with all this enemy alliance stuff already. So let's drop it, na? Onegai?"
Seiji smiled and ruffled Suzume's hair, hand lingering in it for a moment. "I've always wanted to do that. Well, if you're not angry, then there's no point in us being like that, so I guess we have no choice, ne, Shin?"
The redhead nodded. "Well, if that's really all over with then I have a pileup of jobs to do. If you're still in the country, I'll visit after I'm done."
The 'errand boy' cracked open a window and waved, leaping out and disappearing off.
Seiji also stood, but thankfully did not leap out the window as well. "Saa, then let's go home. Shizuka is probably worried for us by now."
Here Suzume bit her lip and tangled her fingers together. Shou and Aoshima gave her silent support… form the other side of the room.
Who knew what Seiji was going to do when he heard that…
"Actually, father… I want to stay."
"What for?"
"I want to… fight alongside the Vongola Family."
Silence.
"YOU WANT TO WHAT!"
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Headquarters, approximately 2PM
"Ah, it seems that Yukimura Autunno left the property earlier today. Oh, thank God."
Coyote Nougat slumped down in his chair, closing his eyes and taking a rest. He waved off the serving staff in the room and locked his door, laying down on his couch.
"Oh, that boy is going to be the death of me someday."
"I agree."
"Mm."
There was a short silence before Coyote slowly lowered his arm, to see one Yukimura Shinichi smiling over him.
"What are you after this time?"
"Deed to a house in Florence."
"You know what? Just take it. I can't bring myself to care anymore."
"Thanks, Nougat. Saves me time as well."
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Headquarters, approximately 4PM
"Intruders! Intruders on the property!"
"Is is another invasion?"
"We don't know! But if it is, it's being done guerilla style. It's a small group, but they're decimating our guards!"
"Up the defenses! Call Ganauche. Let's send out the Lightning Squadron!"
Aoshima caught Gokudera running past him in the halls. "What's going on?"
"It looks like another invasion. Eighteen intruders got past our guards-"
"Wait, eighteen?"
"Yeah, why?"
Aoshima blinked as he dragged Gokudera along the way the Storm Guardian had originally been running, muttering something along the lines of "That was fast."
When they passed the dining room where Reborn was trying to calm down Seiji, with Suzume and Shou in the background, Aoshima yelled "The kids are here!" and carried on.
Suzume put a hand to her face. "Oh, this is the worst timing possible."
When they got outside, where some repairs workmen were cowering up on their ladders and on the roofs, Coyote and Ganauche had just arrived as well, and were about to set their own teams on the black-robed intruders when Suzume yelled at them to stop.
Aoshima stepped out, looked on incredulously at the mess of unconscious bodies, and yelled out a "WARDENS! LINE UP, NUMBER OFF!"
In a split second, there was a neat line of eighteen robed figures, yelling out numbers from one to eighteen, not daring to show even a hint of their elatedness to find their chairmen.
Suzume walked up, also staring at the bodies, and turned to Aoshima. "What have you been teaching them?"
"Karate," he said innocently. Suzume stared. "And a bit of jujitsu."
She cleared her throat.
"Muay Thai, some kendo, and a lot of ninjutsu."
Suzume sighed, turning to her Wardens. "Kids, what are you doing here?"
The Warden first in line, known as White, cleared her throat. "When you did not return from Sicily, iinchou, we became worried. With no contact from you, we decided that it might be best to come look for you and Aoshima-fukuiinchou."
"…So you all boarded planes to Sicily, and searched for us? How did you find us so quickly?"
"We had contact with Dino Cavallone, iinchou. With a bit of quick questioning we established that you were here in this property."
Aoshima squeezed the bridge of his nose. "You should probably all return to Japan. Who's going to run the Centre while we're gone?"
"The Environmental Committee volunteered."
"We're going to be here for a while, so please, just go home," Suzume pleaded.
"What's going on out here?" Timoteo's voice rang out from the hallway.
"I don't know, let's have a look." Oh, and Tsuna's as well.
Tsuna's reaction to the Wardens was priceless, to say the least, while Timoteo laughed it off and invited the strange hooded people into the headquarters.
It was likely that the Ninth's successor would die of a heart condition before he himself did.
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Mansion, approximately 5:30PM
"I can't do it Reborn… I'm going to go crazy before another week passes… is this how it always is to be a don? Making and losing enemies within days, randomly discovering huge conspiracy plots against you, welcoming strange people into your home on no basis whatsoever?"
"Well… that's Timoteo's average week, yes. Why?"
Reborn had to forcibly stop Tsuna from crawling out his bedroom window.
"It's a three floor drop."
"That's the point."
Monday, Palermo
Vongola Mansion, 6PM
"Look, we've arranged a private flight to take you all back to Namimori tomorrow. Be good and go home, okay?" Suzume said to the collection of Wardens, still in their robes, sitting around her in hers and Aoshima's room.
"But iinchou, when are you coming home? We will not leave until you come with us."
Suzume sighed in frustration. "We're going to be here for a while. We're talking months. Maybe even the rest of the year. That's why you can't possibly stay with us-"
"We've already arranged a cover of an overseas studying program. For all of us. We can be absent as long as we like."
"You-" Suzume spluttered a little. She had enough to deal with, geez! Someone give her a break!
"Aoshima-fukuiinchou taught us how to do these things," Hail said proudly.
"…Kiyoshi…"
"...I knew that one was going to come back to bite me in the ass…"